It's time for calm debate of immigration

Before this nation can reach a sensible immigration policy it must cool the hysteria fanned by politicians who push the misperception that immigrants are enemies of the American economy. There are signs of hope in Iowa that such a change is possible.

One sign comes in the form of a public opinion survey on immigration issues measuring the attitudes of Iowans who say they are likely to attend next week’s Republican presidential caucuses.

The results may be surprising, because they show that solid majorities of these Iowa Republicans and independents are far from opposed to legal immigration. They agree that immigrants do help grow the economy. Indeed, seven in 10 respondents said they are not opposed to increasing opportunities for legal immigrants to enter the U.S. workforce.

The other piece of evidence is a compact signed by a bipartisan group of Iowa elected officials, faith leaders, law enforcement officials and businessmen and women calling for immigration reform. Among the first to sign were Perry Mayor Jay Pattee and Police Chief Dan Bricker, Evangelical Church of America Bishop Michael Burk, Greater Des Moines Partnership President Martha Willits and former Ambassador Mary Kramer. They say immigration is a federal issue, and it is time for Congress to act.

Read More: It's time for calm debate of immigration

Mayor Seeks to Let Illegal Immigrants Vote

Already known as a refuge for people from other lands, New Haven is tightening its embrace of newcomers as its mayor seeks to extend voting rights to illegal immigrants and other noncitizens, a policy challenge that comes shortly after attacks on "sanctuary cities" by Republican presidential candidates.

The Democratic mayor, John DeStefano, helped illegal immigrants come out of the shadows four years ago when he launched a first-of-its-kind program to give them city resident cards. Despite crackdowns elsewhere, he has forged ahead with proposals that he says are designed to find common ground in a diverse city.

"We're a place of differences," he said. "We're a place that sees a strength and places a value on welcoming folks from all over."

Dozens of American cities including New York, San Francisco and Cambridge, Mass., take a hands-off approach to pursuing illegal immigrants. While advocates say they are rightly distancing themselves from a broken immigration system, critics accuse them of flouting federal law as "sanctuary cities" — a label not all of them accept.

Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich has vowed to cut off federal funding for such cities. One of his rivals, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, pushed a bill this year that would have prohibited cities from acting as "sanctuaries" for illegal immigrants and allowed local law enforcement to become more involved in immigration enforcement. Mitt Romney has said he opposed sanctuary cities as Massachusetts governor and, as president, he would "find the right approach" to ending them if legally possible.

Read More:  Mayor Seeks to Let Illegal Immigrants Vote

ACLU: Citizens Jailed Under US Immigration Program

Four U.S. citizens were erroneously arrested in Southern California recently through the federal immigration enforcement program called Secure Communities, the American Civil Liberties Union said Wednesday.

The arrests offer another point of tension between immigrant rights groups and Homeland Security, especially after President Barack Obama's administration said the highly criticized local-federal immigration enforcement program would only focus on illegal immigrants with serious criminal records.

Secure Communities, administered by U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement, allows fingerprint analysis to identify illegal immigrants in county jails.

Immigrant right groups say Secure Communities can discourage immigrants from reporting crimes and can lead to the deportation of people who haven't been convicted of anything.

"We demand that the county and the city of Los Angeles stop collaborating with (ICE) and that the Obama Administration stop Secure Communities once and for all," said Marielena Hincapie, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center.

According to the ACLU, three Hispanic men were arrested and put on immigration holds after being processed through Secure Communities in November, and a fourth one went through the same process in July.

Read More: ACLU: Citizens Jailed Under US Immigration Program

Supreme Court to Rule on Immigration Law in Arizona

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to decide whether Arizona may impose tough anti-immigration measures. Among them, in a law enacted last year, is a requirement that the police there question people they stop about their immigration status.

The Obama administration challenged parts of the law in court, saying that it could not be reconciled with federal immigration laws and policies. The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in San Francisco, blocked enforcement of parts of the law in April.

The administration challenged four provisions. The most prominent was a requirement that state law enforcement officials determine the immigration status of anyone they stop or arrest if officials have reason to believe that the individual might be an illegal immigrant. The provision also requires that the immigration status of people who are arrested be determined before they are released.

The law also makes it a crime under state law for aliens to fail to register under a federal one. In a brief urging the Supreme Court not to hear the case, Donald B. Verrilli Jr., the United States solicitor general, said this provision created a state “crime of being unlawfully present in the United States.”


Read More: Supreme Court to Rule on Immigration Law in Arizona

Immigrant Initiative: Hiding may be Finished

If a state initiative succeeds, hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants living in California could work without the threat of deportation.

On Friday, California Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes, a Democrat from Sylmar, Calif., filed a proposal with the state attorney general’s office. The move marked the first step in an effort to gather 504,760 voter signatures — the number needed to qualify for a place on the ballot.

Fuentes said his measure, called the California Opportunity and Prosperity Act, is a “moderate, common-sense approach” by the state to compensate for the federal government’s shortcomings, according to an article in the Sacramento Bee.

The proposed act could create around $325 million in new tax dollars from undocumented workers, supporters say. John Cruz, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s former appointments secretary, said longtime undocumented residents would be able to “fully contribute to society by becoming taxpayers as well” under the initiative.

But Tim Donnelly, a Republican from Twin Peaks, Calif., countered that the measure wouldn’t have a “snowball’s chance in hell” with voters. Immigrants must follow a “proper process for coming to this country,” Donnelly added.

Read More: Immigrant initiative: Hiding may be finished

Michele Bachmann takes another swipe at Newt Gingrich over illegal immigration

A relatively moderate position on illegal immigration outlined last Tuesday by presidential candidate Newt Gingrich continued to draw fire from Republican rivals this weekend.

The latest volley came Saturday from Michele Bachmann, who released a 2004 letter signed by Gingrich calling for “additional legal avenues” that could allow undocumented workers currently living in the United States to remain here legally.

The fracas began Tuesday when Gingrich said during a candidate debate in Washington D.C. that he supported a process by which illegal immigrants who have lived and worked in the United States for decades could obtain legal status. To judge status appeals from such undocumented workers, he’s suggested creating “review boards” from the workers’ local communities.

In a campaign press release on Saturday, Bachmann held up the letter — which was published in the Wall Street Journal — alongside the more recent comments as evidence that Gingrich is “the most liberal GOP candidate on the issue of immigration reform.”

“This letter is a clear indication that Speaker Gingrich has a deep history of supporting amnesty,” Bachmann said in the release. “I don’t agree that you should make 11 million workers legal because that in effect is amnesty and will only encourage more illegal immigrants to come here.”

Read More: Michele Bachmann takes another swipe at Newt Gingrich over illegal immigration 

Justice department challenges Utah immigration law

The U.S. Justice Department sued on Tuesday to stop a Utah immigration law that sought to crack down on illegal immigrants in the state and create a guest worker program, arguing that the measure preempted federal authority.

The department said in its complaint that several provisions of the state's law, signed by Republican Governor Gary Herbert in March, were preempted by federal law and could lead to the harassment of those immigrants in the state legally.

"The law creates and mandates immigration enforcement measures that interfere with the immigration priorities and practices of the federal government in a way which is not cooperative with the primary federal role in this area," the department said in a news release.

"The law's mandates on law enforcement could lead to harassment and detention of foreign visitors and legal immigrants who are in the process of having their immigration status reviewed in federal proceedings," it added.

Read More: Justice department challenges Utah immigration law

U.S. makes case against Alabama's immigration law

Alabama's immigration law is unconstitutional and aims to threaten "the most basic human needs," the U.S. Department of Justice said in a court filing.

"The Constitution leaves no room for such a state immigration-enforcement scheme," the department said in a brief filed with the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta Monday.

The impact of Alabama's immigration law is "clear and deliberate, designed in the language of the legislation's sponsor, to force aliens to 'deport themselves,'" the department's filing said.

Alabama's law cracking down on illegal immigration is considered the strictest in the nation. The U.S. Justice Department's lawsuit against Alabama over the measure is one of several battles in a nationwide skirmish between state federal officials over who controls immigration enforcement.

Read More: U.S. makes case against Alabama's immigration law

U.S. Immigrant Population at All-Time High: 40 Million

The number of foreign-born residents in the United States — including legal and illegal immigrants — reached 40 million last year, the highest figure in American history, new Census Bureau figures disclose.

Nearly 14 million new immigrants came to America from 2000 to 2010, making it the highest-ever decade for immigration.

The increase came even though there was a net decline of jobs during the decade, showing that immigration remains high even during periods of economic weakness.

“This does not mean that immigration is entirely unconnected to the U.S. job market,” observes Steven A. Camarota, director of research at the Center for Immigration Studies, who analyzed the new Census figures for the Center.

“But these figures are a reminder that immigration levels are not as tightly linked to the economy as some have imagined. Such factors as the desire to access public services or to enjoy greater political freedom or join relatives in the United States significantly impact migration.”

Of the 40 million foreign-born residents in the country, from 10 million to 12 million are likely illegal aliens, the Bureau reports.


Read More: U.S. Immigrant Population at All-Time High: 40 Million

Immigration Officials Back Away from Deportation Program

Federal immigration officials have quietly backed away from a program in Arizona and other Western states aimed at quickly and efficiently deporting illegal immigrants rather than keeping them in costly detention centers.

Tens of thousands of illegal immigrants, including thousands from Arizona, have been deported under the program over the past several years. Called stipulated removal, it allows the government to quickly deport illegal immigrants held in detention centers as long as they forgo a hearing before a judge to review their legal rights and to determine if they want to fight their case.

The phaseout follows controversies and concerns.

Immigration officials hailed the program as cost-effective deportations for people who wanted to go home. Critics worried that the government was strong-arming immigrants to accept deportation without regard for their due-process rights.

Immigration officials changed course in September 2010 after a federal appellate court ruled that an immigrant held in an Eloy detention center had his rights violated. After that, speedy removals were offered only to illegal immigrants with lawyers, who could help them fight their cases. Lawyers are not provided at taxpayer expense in deportation proceedings.

Read More: Immigration officials back away from deportation program

Latest Updates on FY 2012 H-1B Visa Availability – Oct. 21

On October 21, 2011, USCIS posted an update regarding the amount of applications received for standard cap-subject and master’s exemption H-1B visas for Fiscal Year 2012. According to USCIS, a total of 20,000 H-1B Master’s Exemption visas have been filed, and 46,200 standard cap visas have been filed. Each fiscal year, a total of 20,000 master’s exempt H-1B visas are available; up to 65,000 standard cap visas are available.

USCIS began accepting petitions for H-1B visas for Fiscal Year 2012 (starting on October 1, 2011) on April 1, 2011. Petitions may be filed no more than six months in advance of the requested start date. Please note that up to 6,800 visas from the 65,000 cap-subject visas are set aside each fiscal year for the H-1B1 program.

Mayors Work to Keep Violent Illegal Aliens in the United States

Just when you thought pro-illegal alien politicians had gone about as far as it's possible to go in helping illegals, that's when they come up with new ways to sell out their country.

For example, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel, former right hand man of Pres. Barack Obama, has released more than 40 suspected illegal aliens arrested on felony charges and refused to hold them for questioning by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. He is doing this in spite of official requests by ICE to hold such prisoners for 48 hours so ICE can take them into custody and determine which are illegal.

N.Y. Mayor Mike Bloomberg is trying to go even further. He's promoting a bill that would that would duplicate Emmanuel's policy and actually enact it into law, thereby binding his successors.

Now consider that in September the federal government reported that over half of all those sentenced to federal prisons in the first nine months of this fiscal year for committing felonies were Hispanic. And this month the Latin American news service, EFE, reported that Mexican President Calderon is angry at "U.S. officials for deporting Mexican criminals" back to Mexico to "save on judicial costs."

Read More: Mayors Work to Keep Violent Illegal Aliens in the United States

Is Mexico's Economy Really Driving Down Illegal Immigration to the US?

According to a 2010 Department of Homeland Security report, the number of undocumented immigrants living in the US declined from 11.6 million in 2008 to 10.6 million in 2009, the largest decrease in 30 years. One of the most common explanations for this phenomenon is that Mexico has witnessed the emergence of a middle class, lessening the economic incentive to cross the border. While it is true that a segment of the population has seen a growth in disposable income over the past five years, a July study by consulting firm De la Riva Group revealed that only 32 percent of the country is “middle class,” defined as making the equivalent of between 13,500 pesos ($1,000) and 98,499 pesos ($7,360) per month.

In contrast, the latest poverty statistics from Mexico’s government poverty monitor CONEVAL indicate that the number of people living below the poverty line in Mexico (2,114 pesos or $158 per month in urban areas, 1,329 pesos or $99 per month in the countryside) increased by 3.2 million between 2008 and 2010, and now stands at 52 million. This figure amounts to more than 46 percent of the country's 112 million inhabitants. This directly contradicts optimistic accounts in the US media which imply that increasing standards of living in Mexico are causing immigration to fall, such as recent articles in the Sacramento Bee and New York Times. While CONEVAL notes that some states (notably Puebla, Coahuila, and Morelos) have made inroads against poverty, it cannot by any means be said that Mexico is mostly middle class.

Read More: Is Mexico's economy really driving down illegal immigration to the US?

Record Number of People Deported from U.S. in Fiscal Year 2011 19 Oct 2011

Fiscal Year 2011 saw U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) break a new record for the amount of people deported from the United States. From July 2010 to June 2011, a total of 400,000 people were deported from the U.S., the largest number ever recorded by ICE. According to ICE, these numbers “underscore the administration's focus on removing individuals ... that fall into priority areas.” These priority areas include people who break laws, are threats to national security or are repeat violators.

In Fiscal Year 2011, a total of 396,906 people were removed from the U.S. Out of those 216,698 were convicted of felonies or misdemeanors. A breakdown of categories is shared below:

1,119 - homicide
5,848 - sexual offenses
44,653 - drug-related crimes
35,927 - driving under the influence

2,900 Arrested in US Illegal Immigration Sweep

US authorities arrested 2,900 illegal immigrants with criminal records during a seven-day nationwide sweep, the biggest of its kind, immigration officials said Wednesday.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency said the operation, which it dubbed "Cross Check", "led to the arrest of more than 2,900 convicted criminal aliens."

The operation was carried out over a one-week period in all 50 US states and overseas territories, as part of the US administration's strategy to focus on people with criminal records who are in the country illegally.

"The results of this targeted enforcement operation underscore ICE's ongoing commitment and focus on the arrest and removal of convicted criminal aliens and those who game our nation's immigration system," ICE director John Morton said.

Of those detained, 1,282 had multiple convictions to their name, and more than 1,600 had served sentences for crimes like armed robbery, attempted murder, kidnapping or drug trafficking, the agency said.

Read More: 2,900 arrested in US illegal immigration sweep

Alabama Immigration Law Stands, but Cops Still Wary

The police chief of a small town in the Appalachian foothills of Alabama didn't know what to do about checking the immigration status of a Hispanic man his department recently arrested on an old warrant. So he didn't do anything.

Alabama's strict new immigration law, which was largely upheld Wednesday by a federal judge, requires police to jail anyone who can't prove he or she is in the country legally.

Much of the law goes into effect immediately, but that doesn't mean there will be mass roundups of thousands of illegal immigrants anytime soon. Across Alabama, police charged with enforcing the nation's toughest law targeting illegal immigrants are trying to figure out how to enforce the law and pay for it.

The police chief, Chris West, and his three officers patrol Crossville, a rural town of 1,300 people that adjoins a Hispanic community of hundreds and maybe more. The nearest jail is 20 miles away. The law is complicated and they have little money for training.

"Right now we're waiting to find out what's in the law, and then we're going to start enforcing it," he said.

Read More: Alabama Immigration Law Stands, but Cops Still Wary

The Illegal Immigration Word Cloud

When the immigration question came in Thursday night’s FOX News-Google Republican Candidate Debate, the concerns of the American people regarding the immigration issue was reflected in the “Word Cloud” they created based on the words used in the thousands of questions they received.

Explained anchor Bret Baier, “It shows the words that were used most often in all of the questions you asked about immigration. The bigger the word, the more often it was used. The biggest word in this cloud, as you see, is 'ILLEGAL.’”

ILLEGAL is something that the American people understand.

Chris Wallace asked Congresswoman Bachmann, "As you well know, a number of states are trying to crack down on illegal immigration. We got a bunch of questions on immigration like this one from Tim Emerson, this is a text question so you don't need to look up there. Tim Emerson of California. He wrote this, 'would you support each state enforcing the immigration laws since the federal government is not?'"

Read More: The Illegal Immigration Word Cloud

Hope for Some Jamaicans Facing Deportation from US

A task force advising the Obama administration on a programme aimed at deporting "the worst of the worst" immigrant felons, has sharply criticised the United States immigration authorities for creating confusion about its purpose and sowing seeds of distrust.

The task force has also found that the programme has an "unintended negative impact" on public safety in local communities.

In a report on the initiative, dubbed 'Secure Communities', the task force said the programme has eroded public trust by leading to the detention of many Caribbean and other immigrants who had not committed serious crimes, after officials said its aim was to remove "the worst of the worst" immigrant criminals from the United States.

Read More: Hope for some Jamaicans facing deportation from US

NM Governor Says Grandparents Came to US Illegally

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez has acknowledged her paternal grandparents came to the U.S. illegally, amid national attention and protests over her ongoing efforts to bar illegal immigrants from getting driver's licenses.

"I know they arrived without documents, especially my father's father," the Republican said Wednesday in an interview in Spanish with KLUZ-TV, the Albuquerque Univision affiliate.

Martinez has long acknowledged her Mexican heritage. But when asked previously about reports that her grandfather was an illegal immigrant, her office has said Martinez was unsure of his status since he abandoned the family when her father was young.

Her comments Wednesday appeared to be the first time she has answered the question definitively. The Santa Fe New Mexican reported in July that the 1930 U.S. Census Bureau record lists Martinez's paternal grandparents' citizenship status as "AL" for "alien," a status that refers to "all foreign-born persons neither naturalized nor having first papers." However, Martinez was not directly quoted in the story addressing her grandparents' immigration status.

Read More: NM governor says grandparents came to US illegally

Dream Act: California Embraces Anti-Arizona Role on Illegal Immigration

With the Obama administration and Congress stalled on immigration reform, California has joined the growing parade of states acting on their own to pressure Washington into action.

The Democrat-controlled state Senate on Wednesday night passed its version of the Dream Act – a bill that would allow illegal immigrants who attended state high schools for three or more years to apply for state-funded college financial aid. The federal version of the bill, which was most recently defeated in December, allows a path to citizenship for illegal-immigrant students and members of the military who were brought to the US as children.

The California Senate vote is a sign that the immigration debate at state level is being driven as much by those sympathetic to illegal immigration as those determined to curtail it, says Catherine Wilson, an immigration analyst at Villanova University in Pennsylvania.

Read Full Story: Dream Act: California Embraces Anti-Arizona Role on Illegal Immigration

Advocates applaud Obama's move to unclog U.S. immigration courts

President Barack Obama's effort to clear out a logjam of nearly 300,000 immigration cases in the federal court system has its good points and its bad points, according to a local immigration attorney.

“At this point, I'm just concerned about people getting ripped off,” said Glenwood Springs attorney Ted Hess. He referred to an Obama administration's directive, issued earlier this summer, to clear “low priority” deportation cases out of the court dockets.

But as the policy is being refined and explained to the immigrant community, Hess said, immigrants need to be careful to avoid scams and fraudulent offers to help make them legal. Such scams often crop up in the wake of immigration reform announcements, he said.

This risk persists, he said, even for immigrants who are eligible to benefit from efforts to ease the court backlog.

The Obama administration's latest immigration initiative, which Hess said is a work in progress, has been a directive to establish a special working group to review the backlog of deportation cases built up in recent years.

Read More: Advocates applaud Obama's move tjavascript:void(0)o unclog U.S. immigration courts

Technology sector wins big with US immigration changes

At a meeting in May at Stanford Law School, academics, executives, and lawyers were asked by US Federal chief technology officer Aneesh Chopra and USCIS director Alejandro Mayorkas what they could do to help Silicon Valley; The leading hub for high-tech innovation and development in the United states . The overwhelming answer was to ask for changes to the immigration regulations to enable high tech companies to hire top talent from around the world.

While politics may keep them from implementing all of the necessary reforms to the immigration system, Chopra and Mayorkas said that some changes to existing policy -- which do not require Congressional approval -- could make it easier for the US to recruit highly skilled individuals from abroad. This would be of enormous benefit to the US economy.

Read More: Technology sector wins big with US immigration changes

Report rips ICE on enforcement

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported people with no criminal history and who posed no threat to the public or national security, according to a report by the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

The report, "Immigration Enforcement Off Target: Minor Offenses With Major Consequences," is a compilation of 200 cases nationwide of immigrant clients who were arrested by local law enforcement and eventually detained by ICE.

According to the report, released Tuesday, nine of those clients were from Pennsylvania, two have been deported, one left voluntarily and six cases are still pending - including one in Philadelphia.

Read More: Report rips ICE on enforcement

Class-Action Lawsuit Filed Against Secure Communities Program

The federal government’s Secure Communities program continues to be the cause of much controversy in the United States. A group in Chicago has now filed a class-action lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, in which they claim that the Secure Communities program is unconstitutional.

According to the lawsuit, the practice of asking local police to detain immigrants in cases where there is no evidence that the immigrant has participated in an illegal activity is unconstitutional. Of specific concern is the part of Secure Communities that asks law enforcement agencies to hold people in custody so that Immigration and Customs Enforcement can check their immigration status and take over custody of the person, if needed.

"What the lawsuit alleges is that in the vast majority of cases with individuals who have detainers lodged against them, basically ICE says to the locals, 'We are instructing you to detain [an individual] after [your] authority has expired because we have initiated an investigation,'" said Mark Fleming, a litigation coordinator with the National Immigrant Justice Center, the group that filed the class-action lawsuit.

Illinois: First State To Pass DREAM Act Signs Historic Law

Gov. Pat Quinn on Monday signed a measure into law creating a privately funded scholarship program for documented and undocumented immigrants, a move supporters hailed as a civil rights victory as other states have recently moved in the other direction on immigration.

The Illinois DREAM Act creates a nine-member commission that will oversee the scholarship fund, which is aimed at removing one of the biggest barriers to higher education for immigrants: cost.

"It is a special day, a historic day, a landmark day where we in Illinois, the Land of Lincoln ... we say to all people of our country and our state, we want everybody in, and nobody left out," Quinn said during a bill-signing ceremony in the Pilsen neighborhood.

The measure narrowly passed the House and easily passed the Senate. Some opponents said they worried such a law would encourage illegal immigration to Illinois, while others said they were reflecting voters' opinions back in their districts.

Read More Illinois: First State To Pass DREAM Act Signs Historic Law

AFL-CIO Reaffirms Support for Comprehensive Immigration Reform

The AFL-CIO continues to support immigration reform; today, the organization’s executive council issued a statement reaffirming the leading union’s support for comprehensive immigration reform. In the official statement, AFL-CIO reaffirmed that it believes an enforcement-only policy of immigration management is not enough and comprehensive immigration reform is needed. In addition, the organization stated it has major concerns with E-Verify, but that it might change its opinion of the electronic employment eligibility system if it were to change.

AFL-CIO, the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, is the largest federation of unions in the U.S., with 56 national and international unions and a membership of over 11 million workers. The union federation believes that the current U.S. immigration policy is a “blueprint for employer manipulation and abuse, and both immigrant and American workers are suffering the consequences.” The organization supports comprehensive, worker-centered reform of U.S. immigration policies.

US Challenges Alabama Immigration Law

US President Barack Obama's administration on Monday filed a legal challenge to a tough new immigration law in the southern state of Alabama that it said would cause "irreparable harm." The Justice Department said the law would deter illegal immigrants from enrolling their children in school and distract police from more serious crimes by requiring them to inspect the legal papers of everyone they stop.
"A state cannot set its own immigration policy, much less pass laws that conflict with federal enforcement of the immigration laws," it said in a statement.

The Alabama law would "affect virtually every aspect of an unauthorized immigrant’s daily life, from employment to housing to transportation to entering into and enforcing contracts to going to school," it said. "It will place significant burdens on federal agencies, diverting their resources away from dangerous criminal aliens and other high-priority targets," it added in a statement. This is the second time the federal government has stepped in to block a controversial state immigration law after it won a July 2010 court injunction against a similar controversial measure in Arizona.

The Alabama law was far more harsh, as it would have required police to pursue illegal immigrants who had committed no other crime as well as making it a crime for immigrants to work or seek employment.

Read More: US challenges Alabama immigration law

Deport-only Immigration Solutions are no Solution at all

Few things can make a law-abiding citizen angrier than reading about a violent crime committed by an illegal immigrant. Regardless of where you stand in the illegal immigration debate, there's no justification for allowing serious lawbreakers to remain in this country.

That's why U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and cooperating local law enforcement agencies deserve credit for a significant spike in criminal deportations. According to The Associated Press, ICE deported nearly 393,000 people in fiscal 2010, roughly half of whom were deemed criminals. Most had committed drug crimes or were caught driving drunk.

It's the other, non-criminal half that is drawing fire, even though President Barack Obama describes two-thirds of them as having been caught at the border or deemed repeat immigration violators. Critics say the administration is being too aggressive against illegal immigrants, and Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., was arrested this week outside the White House during a pro-immigration demonstration.

Read More: Deport-only immigration solutions are no solution at all

Economists Predict Alabama’s New Immigration Law Will Harm the State’s Economy

While supporters of Alabama’s new restrictive immigration enforcement legislation believe it is ultimately a jobs creation program for U.S. citizens, many economic advisers are now publicly stating that the law will harm the state’s economic health. The law, which is scheduled to take effect September 1, 2011, will, according to key economists, put the stigma of the 1960s back on Alabama.

According to the U.S Census Bureau, up to 54,000 Hispanics work in Alabama, about 2.7 percent of the state’s total workforce. The majority of Hispanics work in construction, manufacturing and production. It is feared that Alabama will feel the same negative consequences that other states with restrictive legislation's (such as Arizona) have felt. With an already weakened economy, many economists fear the blow back from this law will have grave consequences.

Spotlight on US Immigration as Senate Holds First DREAM Act Hearing

Many White House officials are pushing for US immigration reform as the DREAM Act receives its first United States Senate hearing.

The DREAM (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors) Act would be a huge step for supporters of US immigration reform as it would make it possible for people brought illegally into the United States as children to apply for American citizenship after spending several years in the country and completing two years of either college or military service.

While earlier attempts to pass the DREAM Act have failed, Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Security Secretary Janet Napolitano are pushing again for it to be passed. They are placing an emphasis on the economic benefits of the Act, citing a Congressional Budget office report that states the Act would generate an extra $1.4 billion in government revenue.

Read More Spotlight on US immigration as Senate holds first DREAM Act hearing

Illegal Immigrant Youth 'come out' in Reform Push

Eighteen-year-old Dulce Guerrero kept quiet about being an illegal immigrant until earlier this year, when she became upset after a traffic stop that landed her mother in jail for two nights. The arrest came as Georgia lawmakers were crafting what would become one of the nation's toughest immigration crackdowns, and Guerrero feared her mother would be deported.

I feel like that was my breaking point, when my mom was in jail,'' said Guerrero, who came to the U.S. from Mexico when she was 2. I felt like, well, that's it, it can't get any worse than this. My mother has been to jail.''

Guerrero first publicly announced her immigration status at a protest in March, and now she's organizing a rally under the tutelage of more experienced activists who are themselves only a few years older. The high-stakes movement of young illegal immigrants declaring that they're undocumented and unafraid'' got a boost this week when a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist revealed he's been living in the country illegally.

Guerrero is the chief organizer of a rally set for Tuesday at the Georgia State Capitol for high school-age illegal immigrants to tell their stories. The recent high school graduate and others hope to draw attention to the plight of the hundreds of thousands of young people who were brought to the U.S. illegally by their parents.

Read More Illegal immigrant youth 'come out' in reform push

Mexico, Other Countries Join Georgia's Immigration Suit

Mexico and 10 other countries have joined the legal fight against Georgia's tough new immigration law, warning that the strict crackdown could jeopardize close ties between the U.S. and its Latin American neighbors.

The nations filed briefs late Wednesday in support of civil liberties groups who asked a federal judge to declare Georgia's new law unconstitutional and block it from taking effect. The filing marks a new phase in the legal showdown that has pitted Georgia's attorneys against groups who had threatened to challenge the law even before it was adopted by lawmakers.

Mexico's move also echoes the legal strategy it pursued to challenge tough new immigration rules enacted by other states. Attorneys representing Mexico filed briefs challenging similar legislation adopted in Arizona and Utah.

Georgia's law, known as HB 87, would allow law enforcement to check the immigration status of a suspect who cannot provide identification and empowers them to turn over anyone found to be in the country illegally to federal authorities. It also adds new penalties for those convicted of harboring illegal immigrants and presenting false documents when applying for a job.

Gov. Nathan Deal's office on Thursday declined to comment, but he has praised the legislation as a "responsible step forward" in the absence of federal reform. Earlier this week, Deal urged farmers who claimed workers have been scared away by the new immigration restrictions to hire people on probation to work the fields instead.

The measure, Mexico said, would strain diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Mexico, "interfering with the strategic diplomatic interests of the two countries and encouraging an imminent threat of state-sanctioned bias or discrimination."

Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Peru also filed briefs Wednesday in support of the plaintiffs.

Read More: Mexico, other countries join Georgia's immigration suit

Immigration bill fires up opposition

A bill being called the Safe Students Act would require school principals in North Carolina to ask parents about their child's citizenship and immigration status when the child is enrolled for the first time. That information would be used only for the state's financial analysis, the bill stipulates, and not for immigration enforcement. But the idea has plenty of critics who say the requirement would run afoul of federal law and put school administrators in an adversarial role with families.

"Such a policy poses a substantial risk of chilling children's access to education by fostering the fear that enrollment may bring families to the attention of immigration authorities," said Sarah Preston, lobbyist with the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina. But Rep. Dale Folwell, a Winston-Salem Republican and primary sponsor of the bill, said the state should be able to collect data on students' citizenship status to show the true results of the federal government's "unfunded mandate" to educate children who are here illegally.

"We must have fiscal research of the impact that illegal immigration is having on North Carolina," Folwell said. "Some people have estimated that over the last 10 years, North Carolina's illegal immigration population growth rate - growth rate - has exceeded California, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas."

It's unclear, though, whether the data collected would provide a complete picture of illegal immigration in the state. The bill would require principals to ask only about the citizenship of students. But any child born in the United States is a citizen, even if his or her parents are illegal.

Read More: Immigration bill fires up opposition

Obama puts immigration in Congress' court: By ALICIA A. CALDWELL Associated Press

WASHINGTON — With a re-election campaign looming, President Barack Obama is pushing Congress to overhaul the immigration system, but lawmakers seems to have little appetite to take on the issue.

In recent speeches at the Mexican border in El Paso, Texas, and the National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Obama said his administration has followed through on demands to secure the border, and now it's time for Congress to put revamping immigration back on the agenda and make something happen.

"Comprehensive immigration reform is not only an economic imperative or a security imperative, it is also a moral imperative," Obama told the prayer breakfast.

Read more: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2015091133_apusimmigrationoverhaul1stldwritethru.html

New I-9 Central Website Aggregates Information about I-9 Process

USCIS has launched a new website to provide resources, information and updates regarding the management of employee eligibility verification. The new website, called I-9 Central, is available online at http://1.usa.gov/kJB5Rh. On the site, visitors can access information about completing the I-9 form, what documents are acceptable as proof of identity, how to retain and store I-9 forms, employee rights and discrimination and other key resource materials.

In addition, the new website includes a ‘What’s New’ section, with the latest updates about the I-9 form and employee eligibility verification.

Top Republican Calls for H-1B Reform

In a special hearing held by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, U.S. Representative Darrell Issa (R-CA) called for reform of the H-1B Visa program. “There seems little doubt that federal policies and regulations have played a large role in hampering growth,” said Issa, who referred specifically to the H-1B Visa Cap in his speech.

"Five years ago, Bill Gates and many others warned of the negative impact of strict caps on H-1B visas for technology workers on U.S. technology companies, with a commensurate positive effect on the high-tech industries in other countries, like China and India," said Issa.

Issa isn’t the only Republican to voice support for changing H-1B regulations. Last month U.S. Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX) also called for an increase in the amount of H-1B visas available per year.

USCIS Posts Number of FY 2012 H-1B Petitions Received

The first information about petitions submitted for the Fiscal Year 2012 H-1B program has just been posted by USCIS and, as expected, the amount of petitions received by the federal agency are low. As was seen last year, only a small handful of companies have submitted requests for highly skilled workers under the H-1B program. As of April 7, 2011, a total of 5,900 petitions have been received for the regular cap program and 4,500 petitions have been received for the H-1B Master’s Exemption category.

A total of 65,000 H-1B visas are available each year, according to current federal regulations. USCIS has also receipted 20,000 H-1B petitions for foreign workers with advanced degrees, leaving no additional available visa under that exemption.

Technology Companies Speak to Congress about H-1B/Green Card Reform

Last week, a number of high-tech companies were given the opportunity to speak to Congress about the H-1B visa program. In the meeting, representatives from various companies spoke about the importance of the H-1B program to technological companies in the U.S. and a few additionally made the case for easing the process to obtain green cards as opposed to changing H-1B regulations.

"These two groups don't agree on everything.... They see the IT benefit of permanent residents as key," said former Rep. Bruce Morrison (D-CT), who testified on behalf of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

The American Council on International Personnel also shared its perspective in a statement that said: “American employers need an immigration system that includes both temporary and permanent visas as well as a timely, consistent and predictable process.”

USCIS to Accept Fiscal Year 2012 H-1B Petitions on April 1

On April 1, 2011, USCIS will begin accepting H-1B petitions subject to the annual cap for Fiscal Year 2012. All cases will be considered accepted on the date that USCIS receives a properly filed petition with the correct fee. The postmark date will not be considered the accepted date.

U.S. businesses that employ foreign workers engaged in specialty occupations that require technical or theoretical expertise, such as scientists, engineers and computer programmers, may use the H-1B program.

The cap for 2012 is 65,000; the first 20,000 petitions filed on behalf of people with U.S. master’s degrees or higher will be exempt from this 65,000 cap.

Please note that petitions filed on behalf of a current H-1B worker who has previously been counted against an annual cap will not count toward the 2012 annual cap. USCIS states that it will continue to process petitions filed to extend the amount of time a current H-1B worker may remain in the U.S., change the terms of employment for an H-1B worker; allow a current H-1B worker to change employers or allow a current H-1B worker to work concurrently in a second H-1B position in the U.S.